Crime reports from Eastbourne town centre come down following highest figures in three years

On Police.UK it says there were 417 crime reports from the town centre in August, a drop off from July’s figures.

There were 513 crime reports from the town centre in July, compared to 358 in June. This is a jump of 155 reports (43 per cent) and the highest monthly number on the system, which goes back to August 2020.

In August there were 122 reports of shoplifting, 110 reports of violence and sexual offences, 59 reports of anti-social behaviour and 126 reports of all other crime.

During August there were 122 reports of shoplifting in the town centre which accounts for 29.2 per cent of all reported crime.

Despite the lower overall numbers, reports of anti-social behaviour, bicycle theft, possession of weapons, drugs and robbery all increased during the month of August.

However, other reports in the town centre fell in August including: reports of burglary dropped from 20 to six, criminal damage and arson reports went from 30 to 18, ‘other thefts’ fell from 27 to 24, public order offence dropped from 36 to 28, shoplifting reports fell from 204 to 122 and violence and sexual offence reports went from 115 to 110.

Reports of a theft from a person, vehicle crime and ‘other crime’ all remained at the same number as the previous month of eight. four and four respectively.

Inspector Sarah Taylor of the Eastbourne Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “We are dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in Eastbourne and the reports provide us with an insight into the most prevalent issues.

“We are able to target our action to address these concerns, utilising campaigns such as Project WAVE (Wellbeing and Vulnerability Engagement), with dedicated patrol vehicles aimed specifically at protecting women and girls from violence in the night-time economy, or Operation Safety - the force’s response to knife crime and serious violence.

“We are continually working with partners such as Eastbourne Borough Council, the youth services team and the Eastbourne Business Crime Reduction Partnership to identify offenders, reduce crime and provide support and guidance."